Weimaraner – pure love in a steely blue coat with a golden stare. All love and one of the most striking dogs you will ever see. I was contacted by Phil and Tammy for help capturing some great pet photography for their Christmas card. Apparently, their weimaraners Oscar and Lucy have graced the Christmas card cover each year. So, put two weimaraners together with the holiday season and what do you get?

Fox and Hound! I wanted to capture the classic hunting look of this magazine. We planned to shoot Oscar and Lucy at home in Shaker Heights and at the CWRU farm in the Hunting Valley. Hunting Valley is renowned for its beauty, open fields and equestrian sports, including fox hunting. I wanted to capture the open valley, pastel colors and peacefulness of the farm. I also wanted to capture each dog’s distinct personality.

Oscar is in charge! He is older, slightly larger and very stoich. His intense stare coveys an air of grandeur. Lucy is young and tall for a weimaraner. She sleek and energetic. Lucy is also a complete goof, which Oscar accepts when he is in the mood. Meet the dogs below, Lucy on the left and Oscar on the right.

We spent some time in the early afternoon shooting at Phil and Tammy’s home, and what a beauty home they have! As you can see, Lucy drools over Oscar.

After shooting around the home, we were off to the hunting valley. The area is amazing! It looks like the classic rolling hills of Virginia. Close your eyes and you can imagine men in red coats mounted on horseback chasing the fox and hounds across the valley. With the winter sun at a low angle, softer color tones of pale blue, yellow and rust reds come alive.

Of course the day would not be complete without a healthy amount of play, and weimaraners need a lot of play. Phil and Tammy chose the photo below for this year’s Christmas card.

Below left is my absolute favorite photo from the day. The photo contains the whole family and is not just another happy portrait. Both owners and pets are alerted to something in the distance. Whatever has grabbed the dogs attention certainly has Phil and Tammy’s attention too. Of course the dogs are thinking “SQUIRREL” and the owners are thinking “OH &%$#”!

Here you can really get a sense of Lucy’s playful personality. I used a really wide angle and crazy close focus (that’s a technical term) to bring out her playful side. I think I came away with slobber on the lens. Come to think about it, she might have licked it. Ahh, the hazards of pet photography – slobber and attachment.

So thats all the pet photography for now. It is amazing how my clients stick with me, both figuratively and literally (I came home covered in hair). Oscar and Lucy are so sweet and I really do miss them. Hopefully I will get a chance to see them next holiday season! As for this season, the overall results are the best on location pet photos I have ever taken. They are so different than my work with pets in the studio.